The latest in the Lighting 102 series was posted on Strobist yesterday. This new unit discusses Apparent Light Size and it’s effects on your photos. The discussion centers around the light source compared to the subject.

The Matchbox car shot is a great example of how a single flash, normally thought to be a hard light source, is a soft light source. It’s all because of the size of the subject in relation to the light source. Simply using a piece of paper over the flash serves to diffuse it even more.

David goes on to talk about using studio umbrellas for soft light. He also touches on the fact that you can bounce the flash off a ceiling or side wall in order to get soft light. So many ways to achieve similar results.

The bottom of the article has links to his Lighting 101 series. Read the Umbrellas and Bouncing off Walls articles to refresh your knowledge on these subjects.